Page 19 of Claiming His Wife
Scott
“Lookwhat the cat dragged in. My man, it’s been too fucking long,” Timothy says when he answers the door. “It’s good to see your ugly mug.”
“Yeah, yeah. Good to see you too, prick.”
“Come on down, the rest of the boys are already here. Are you ready to lose all those hard-earned dollars of yours?”
“Glad to see your sense of humor hasn’t changed. We both know you’re going to bluff big and I’m going to clean the floor with you,” I jeer.
“We’ll see about that, you’re out of practice.”
“Poker is like riding a bike. You never forget how to play.”
I follow my friend down to his man-cave and am immediately greeted by the rest of our friends. Trent, Jack, and Adam are sitting around the same table we’ve played at since Freshman year of college. It’s been moved from place to place over the years, finally coming to its permanent home in Timothy’s man-cave after he got married and moved to the suburbs.
“Let’s play some cards,” Adam says as he shuffles the deck.
“Dude, you know you don’t have anything. Just fold and put yourself out of your misery.” Just as I predicted, Timothy is holding a shit hand but refuses to fold. Instead, he raises me by five bucks. I almost take pity on him, but then I call and lay out my cards: a full house. Timothy tosses his cards down and shows his pair of twos. “Every time, why do you do that?”
“A man has to take risks sometimes—” His words are cut off by a yawn. It’s only then that I notice the dark circles under his eyes and the slump of his shoulders. He looks like he’s about ready to keel over any second.
“Lili still not sleeping through the night?” Trent asks sympathetically.
“Hell no, the little heathen is out of bed more now than when she was a newborn.”
Trent nods in understanding. “Amanda was like that… come to think of it, Aaron and Anne were too.”
Timothy smacks my shoulder. “Be glad you and Mal haven’t jumped on the parenthood train yet. I love my Lili, but I miss sleep… and sex.”
The guys all laugh, but his offhanded comment is like a kick to the skull. Babies. A conversation Mallory and I had springs to mind, and I instantly know why I grew distant. Mal wanted to stop taking birth control. After a long conversation, we decided we were ready to make our family…
I try to imagine Mallory rounded with our child and the only reaction I have is fierce, possessive joy. I picture a little girl with Mal’s big blue eyes and brown hair, and my heart swells like the Grinch’s. I want that. I want what Timothy is complaining about. I want sleepless nights. Midnight feedings, diapers, crying, screaming, puking… all of it. Well, maybe not the no sex thing, but the rest of it—hell yes.
Why did the idea of starting our family cause me to pull away? The very thought fills me with nothing but joy. I try to remember what could have caused my change of heart after our conversation…
The promotion. I was up for another promotion. Knowing what it would mean for us if I landed the job, I pushed her away. Fuck me. I remember the relief when Mallory got her period. We fucked like a couple of bunnies after deciding to have a baby, and I was so relieved that it didn’t take. Mallory was crushed. God, I was a real fucking bastard.
I’m beyond glad that I finally figured out what caused me to pull away. Now I can tell Mallory, and we can move forward. She won’t have to worry about it happening again. The very thought of her pregnant makes my cock hard. I’m no longer the man I was before. I’m no longer obsessed with my job; I’m obsessed with my wife.
* * *
Mallory isquiet as she pushes her food around her plate. She’s hardly taken a bite, and something is obviously on her mind.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
“Oh, just a lot on my mind.”
“Like?” I prod.
“Us, mostly.”
“What about us?”
She shakes her head and pokes at her chicken with her fork. “Just thinking about the future…”
“Mal, I know what happened. I know why I pushed you away, and I can guarantee you it won’t happen again.”
She looks up at me with hopeful eyes. This is the conversation she’s been waiting all these months for. She needs to know what happened so she can move on.